Preston Joseph Hebert Sr.
October 28, 2008
Olive "Nookie" Sonnier Pitre
October 30, 2008
In many ways, H.L. Bourgeois looks like the same team that won the District 8-5A championship last year.
Three powerful running backs are piling up yards almost at will every week. They are always a carry away from the end zone.
But there is something amiss this season. They are their own worst enemy – bad penalties taking away good plays and digging themselves into holes they can’t get out of.
“We have a lot of seniors, but we don’t have a lot of experience,” first-year Braves coach Joe Riley said. “The offense is all seniors and a junior, but only three started last year. The defense is the same way. Only two (players) started last year. I don’t want to say it’s a rebuilding year because I expected more from these guys.”
Terrebonne looks nothing like they did last season. That is probably why they are still undefeated in district play (5-1, 4-0).
Where only half the team seemed to function at a time in 2007, all systems are working in unison in 2008.
“They’re starting to believe in everything the coaches drill into them at practice,” said Tigers second-year coach Gary Hill. “Once that happens and you see the work pay off in the game, anything is possible.”
The role reversal was on full display in Terrebonne’s 42-27 victory over Bourgeois (1-5, 0-4) Friday night at Tom B. Smith Stadium.
Terrebonne had jumped out to a 20-0 lead by the midpoint of the second quarter. They scored touchdowns on three of four possessions by taking advantage of two Bourgeois 15-yard facemasks penalties and recovering the fumble on a kickoff.
“That’s the story of the season,” Riley said. “I keep telling them, they’re making too many turnovers, too many mistakes, and that costs us at the end of games.
However, Bourgeois’ senior stable of running backs, Jereme Lagarde, Caleb Williams and Sean Harvey, would not let the Braves go down without a fight.
The Braves scored 20 straight points to tie the game. First, Williams went 36 yards around the left side in the second quarter for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, Harvey ran around the right end 29 yards for a touchdown, and Williams went back to the left end sweep for a 12-yard score.
On Terrebonne’s next possession, Braves defensive stalwart Damion Jacobs had to leave the game for a play due to an injury. On third-and-two, it was up to another inexperienced starter to make the key play and he could not come through.
The Tigers’ Mark Lawson went 65 yards up the middle, where Jacobs would have been, for the touchdown. A two-point conversion by quarterback Neil Robinson would seal the win.
“They (Terrebonne) made a great call. They didn’t block our guy and he had a decision to make. Do I take the quarterback or the dive man?” Riley said. “He’s supposed to take the dive man and he didn’t, so that was it.”
Terrebonne would add two more touchdowns, while Lagarde would score on a two-yard touchdown.
The Braves would finish with 397 yard rushing yards – Lagarde had 196, Williams had 158, and Harvey had 68.
But after the game, the frustration was evident during Lagarde’s post-game pep talk. Riley understands.
“Those guys are used to winning and they’re having a rough time with the losses,” he said. They’re coming to practice every day giving 120 percent and we’re falling short. They are the guys who played last year. They know what it takes, so they have to rally the younger guys to play football. They never had to do that before.”
Sean Harvey’s 29-yard TD run was not enough to get the Braves past Terrebonne Friday night. * Photo by KEYON J. JEFF
